In a nutshell…(316) Smurfing together for a better world

On January 27, the Belgian bpost opened the issuing year 2025 with five special emissions: Digital Arts and Entertainment, 600 years of KU Leuven, Smurfing together for a better world, One hundred years of the first flight to Congo, and One hundred years of the first letter franking machine. Further dates are April 4, Oade Europazegel: Archaeology; June 14, Breughel Commemoration, Iconic Belgian banknotes; August 23, including Squares of Hasselt, Portrait of King Philippe, 3 denominations; and October 18, including Land snails, Micro-animals, and Forty Years of Birds by André Buzin. To start with, two of the January 27 emissions, one of which is titled …Smurfing together for a better world…. bpost on this: Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs, once said: “As a child I already liked to draw, but actually all children draw. Some of them grow up, serious people. Others refuse to take that step and create comic book characters.” Today you can find the Smurfs in just about every country in the world, and so too on our special stamp issue regarding the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.   On the stamps, the Smurfs, as ambassadors of the UN, showcase the 17 Goals and their contributions to a better world: Reduced inequality; Life on land/Climate action/Industry, innovation and infrastructure; Decent work and economic growth/Quality education; Life underwater/Clean water and sanitation; Affordable and clean energy/Sustainable cities and communities; Good health and well-being; No poverty and gender equality; Peace, justice and strong institutions. On the sheet: a blue background with flowers. Furthermore, a beautiful sheet commemorating 600 years of KU Leuven and UCLouvain was released. In 1425, the first university in Leuven was founded by Pope Martin V. The university currently consists of the Dutch-speaking KU Leuven and the French-speaking UCLouvain. The 600th anniversary is commemorated with a beautiful sheet. The five identical stamps in the sheet, with the value indication 2 NAT, feature the historical image of the Sedes Sapientiae (Latin for Seat of Wisdom) from the KU Leuven University Archives, surrounded by circles referring to the present. The sheet displays the complete image of the Sedes Sapientiae. Please note, the print run of the sheet is exceptionally low: 14.101!